Lighted module applicable to a pushbutton-type switch assembly, and a pushbutton-type switch assembly with a lighted module
A lighted module applicable to a pushbutton-type switch assembly and pushbutton-type switch assembly with lighted module is described. The module comprises a receptacle housing a printed circuit board having several LEDs and connection means. The receptacle includes at least one translucent or transparent portion, aperture or hole through which light is emitted from said LEDs towards a translucent or transparent portion of a base body of a pushbutton-type switch assembly, and an orifice through which the connection means are connected to an electric circuit. The receptacle and said printed circuit board comprising respective mutually aligned apertures for insertion of a stem of said base body so that the receptacle with the printed circuit board can be jointly installed with the pushbutton-type switch assembly internally or externally to a panel.
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The present invention relates to a lighted module applicable to a pushbutton-type switch assembly that can be of an already existing conventional type. The present invention also relates to a pushbutton-type switch assembly that is associated with such a lighted module.
STATE OF THE PREVIOUS ARTFrom patent US-A-6350039 a switch assembly or wall socket is known that comprises a switch or socket unit, a translucent or transparent frame surrounding said unit and a printed circuit board with a circuit including a number of LEDs arranged at regular intervals around the switch or socket assembly to emit light through said translucent or transparent frame. The assembly also includes a light guiding and reflecting body located underneath the translucent or transparent frame and a photosensitive switch connected to the board circuit to switch the LEDs on or off depending on the ambient light.
Patent EP-A-0567357 discloses a lighted button with a channelled and diffused light flow comprising a transparent tubular base body that passes through an aperture in a panel. The base body defines a laterally projecting collar at its upper end and a threaded portion at its lower end for coupling to a nut to secure the base body to said panel. An actuator assembly is mounted on the base body in such a way that it can be moved between an extended position and a retracted position against the force of an elastic element. A bottom plate is secured to the lower end of the base body, said bottom plate including a switch and a number of LEDs that can be switched on by the actuator assembly pressing on said switch. The base body is configured so that the light from the LEDs is emitted through the mentioned collar.
On the other hand, examples of conventional pushbutton-type switch assemblies are known, for example, applicable to amusement machines, which comprise a base body adapted to be fixed to a panel and an actuator assembly installed on said base body in a movable fashion between an extended position and a retracted position. An elastic element is arranged to thrust said actuator assembly towards the extended position. The actuator assembly is adapted to be pushed against the force of this elastic element in order to operate a switch fixed to the base body. The base body defines a bezel that rests on an exposed face of said panel and a stem adapted to pass through an aperture in the panel towards a hidden face of the same. The stem has an outer configuration adapted to be coupled to a securing element adapted for joining said base body to the panel. Usually, said outer configuration is a threaded portion and said securing element is a nut coupled to the stem and tightened against the hidden side of the panel. The actuator assembly defines a pushbutton adapted to be, at least partially, housed in said bezel and an appendix that passes through an passage along the length of the base body stem in order to operate said switch. Normally, a bulb or one or more LEDs are mounted inside the stem and arranged to emit light through said pushbutton, which is translucent or transparent to this end.
Patent GB-A-2350722 describes a lighted pushbutton-type switch assembly that includes the features of the conventional pushbutton-type switch assembly described above, and which also comprises a printed circuit board with a circuit including, on a first face of the board, a number of LEDs spaced apart around an aperture and connection pins that extend from a second face of the board opposite the first one. The printed circuit board is installed between a washer backed onto the exposed face of the panel and a rear surface of the base body bezel. Each LED is facing a corresponding opening formed in a collar on the bezel. A light-conducting ring made of a transparent material is fitted over the LEDs, said light-conducting ring having pins inserted into the collar openings so that the light is emitted through said pins and openings.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTIONOne aspect of the present invention provides a lighted module applicable to a pushbutton-type switch assembly that can be of an already existing conventional type.
Another aspect of the present invention provides a pushbutton-type switch assembly that is associated with such a lighted module.
According to a first aspect, the present invention provides a lighted module applicable to a pushbutton-type switch assembly, where said pushbutton-type switch assembly is of the type comprising a base body at one end of which a bezel is defined adapted to receive a pushbutton of an actuator assembly, and a stem adapted to be passed through an aperture in said panel. The stem has an outer configuration adapted to be coupled to a securing element adapted for joining said base body to the cited panel. Said actuator assembly is installed in such a way that it can be moved through said stem from an extended position to a retracted position against the thrust of an elastic element to operate an actuator device secured to said stem. According to the present invention, the lighted module comprises a receptacle containing a printed circuit board having a circuit that includes at least one LED and connection pins, said receptacle including at least one translucent or transparent portion or hole through which light can be emitted from said LED towards a translucent or transparent portion of the base body, and at least one aperture through which said connection pins can be connected to an electric circuit. The receptacle and said printed circuit board comprise respective apertures mutually aligned for insertion of the base body stem so that the receptacle with the printed circuit board can be installed together with the pushbutton-type switch assembly either externally between said base body bezel and the panel, or internally between the panel and said securing element. In this latter case, the light from the LED can be emitted towards said translucent or transparent portion of the base body through at least one hole or aperture in the panel.
In one preferred embodiment, said printed circuit board includes a number of said LEDs spaced around said aperture on a first face of the board, while said connection pins extend from a second face of the printed circuit board opposite said first face. The circuit of the printed circuit board is adapted to be controlled from an electronic control circuit associated with said electric circuit to which the connection pins are connected to consecutively switch the LEDs on and off in order to produce a rotating luminous signal. The LEDs are arranged on the printed circuit board so that said rotating luminous signal is emitted through a peripheral zone of the base body bezel, for which reason the base body is made of a translucent or transparent material or has at least a translucent or transparent portion.
With this construction, the module of the present invention can be associated with an already existing pushbutton-type switch assembly provided that the base body is fully, or has at least a portion made of translucent or transparent material, and, eventually, adapting the panel aperture and/or adding some holes thereto. Since an already existing base body mould can be used to mould the base body in a translucent or transparent material, such as a polycarbonate plastic, either coloured or colourless, practically any existing pushbutton-type switch assembly will be suitable for moulding in a translucent or transparent material and installed jointly with the lighted module of the present invention so that its luminous and/or aesthetic features can be enhanced. Moreover, for joining the lighted module to the assembly it is envisaged to use the same securing elements originally provided with the pushbutton-type switch assembly, so that the module is readily changeable or replaceable.
Alternatively, a purpose-built pushbutton-type switch assembly can be adapted for association with the lighted module of the present invention, incorporating, for example, a completely translucent or transparent base body or an opaque base body with one or more translucent or transparent portions.
Thus, according to a second aspect, the present invention provides a pushbutton-type switch assembly with a lighted module, wherein the pushbutton-type switch assembly is of a type comprising a base body defining at one end thereof a bezel adapted to receive a pushbutton of an actuator assembly, and a stem adapted to be passed through an aperture in said panel, said stem having an outer configuration for coupling to a securing element for joining said base body to said panel, said actuator assembly being installed in such a way that is able to be moved through said stem from an extended position to a retracted position against the thrust of an elastic element to operate an actuating element of a switch attached to said stem. According to the present invention, the pushbutton-type switch assembly is characterised in that it is associated with a lighted module of the present invention and in that the base body has a translucent or transparent portion through which light from said lighted module is emitted.
In any case, the lighted module of the present invention is in the form of a receptacle or box that contains the printed circuit board. Once the module is installed, this receptacle or box remains closed to protect the printed circuit board from environmental and other agents.
The previous and other advantages and features will be more fully understood from the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the attached drawings, in which:
The various figures that accompany the following description make use of the same reference numerals to designate equal or equivalent elements. The terms “upper” and “lower” and their derivatives refer to the positions of the elements in the figures. The terms “axial” and “radial” refer to a central axis 60, in the direction of which the pushbutton is moved and in relation to which the main elements are assembled.
First referring to
A support 48 is attached to the lower end of the stem, said support 48 carrying a switch 14 and, eventually, one or more central light-emitting devices 49 installed inside the stem 5 to emit light through a translucent or transparent cover 50 of the pushbutton 3 of the actuator 4. Optionally, under said cover 50, the pushbutton includes a translucent or transparent sheet 52 with graphic or written information. When the actuator assembly 4 is pushed towards its retracted position against the thrust of said elastic element 10, the appendices 46 are moved downwards through the stem 5 in order to operate an actuating element of said switch 14 secured to the stem 5. The switch 14 can be assigned several functions, for example related to the amusement machine to which the pushbutton-type switch assembly is applied, and the central light-emitting device or devices 49 could be controlled to switch on or off according to said functions.
There are minor differences between the first and second examples of pushbutton-type switch assembly of
Since one aspect of the present invention provides a lighted module applicable to a pushbutton-type switch assembly, which can be of an already existing conventional type, such as those described in
Now referring to
Both first and second embodiments of the lighted module of
In the two lighted module embodiments shown in
With particular reference now to
When it is fitted closing the box 24, the cover 25 has an inner surface adjacent to said second face of the printed circuit board 16 from which only the connection pins 18 project, for which reason an orifice 19 is formed to allow the connection pins 18 pass through. The box 24 has lateral walls 27 adapted to conform at least part of the printed circuit board 16 contour and the mentioned inner surface of the cover 25 has formed a perimetrical step 28 adapted to fit interiorly to said lateral walls 27 of the box 24. In this manner, the printed circuit board 16 is encapsulated and protected inside the receptacle 15 formed by the box 24 and the cover 25, jointly constituting the first embodiment of the lighted module of the present invention. This first embodiment of the lighted module may be applied to a pushbutton-type switch assembly according to the first example described in relation to
In a non-illustrated variant of this embodiment, the box 24 is installed in a lower position and the cover 25 in an upper position. In this case, the box 24 includes hole 26 for the connection pins 18 and the aperture 21 of the cover is configured to encompass the LEDs 17 within its perimeter.
The LEDs 17 on the printed circuit board 16 are facing the holes 23 in the panel 7 and, in turn, these are facing the surrounding exterior wall 51 of the bezel 2 of the base body 1. As is usual, the central light-emitting device 49 is directly facing the pushbutton 3 of the actuator assembly 4. Connection wires (not shown) are installed to connect the switch 14 of the pushbutton-type switch assembly to a conventional electric or electronic circuit and other connection wires (not shown) are installed to connect the connection pins 18 of the lighted module to another electric circuit that is associated with an electronic control circuit to control operation of the LEDs 17 on the printed circuit board 16. Eventually, the two circuits could be combined into the same electric circuit, including the electronic control means.
According to a second installation example (not shown), the lighted module comprising box 24, printed circuit board 16 and cover 25 can be installed externally between the panel 7 and the bezel 2 of the base body 1, in which case the panel 7 will include an orifice (not shown) for the connection pins 18 instead of the holes 23.
Referring now particularly to
The box 29 does not have a cover and the lateral wall 30 defines an upper aperture facing the bottom wall on which the printed circuit board 16 is resting, said upper aperture being configured to encompass the LEDs 17 within its perimeter. The lateral wall 30 comprises a free axial edge 33 parallel to the bottom wall. This free axial edge 33 of the lateral wall 30 is adapted to rest against the hidden face of the panel 7 when the box 29 is internally installed to the panel 7, between the panel 7 and the nut 9, as per a first installation example described in greater detail below in relation to
For the mentioned first installation example shown in
The perimetrical edge 37 of the adapter 34 is also dimensioned to fit within free radial surfaces 38 of the inner walls 31 of the box 29, and the height of the perimetrical edge 37 of the adapter 34 is less than the distance from the first face of the printed circuit board 16 to the free axial surfaces 32 of the inner walls 31 so that the adapter can be held within the box 29 when employing the second installation example shown in
Conventionally, there is a projection (not shown) on the rear surface of the bezel 2 of the base body 1, next to the stem 5, adapted to fit to a notch 53 (
The lighted module of this second embodiment also includes a support washer 42 (
Also referring to
In the lighted module according to any of the embodiments of the present invention, the circuit of the printed circuit board 16 is adapted to switch the LEDs 17 on and off in order to produce various luminous signals under the control of an electronic circuit associated with said electric circuit to which the connection pins 18 of the printed circuit board 16 are connected. One of these luminous signals that is especially preferred is a rotating luminous signal produced by consecutively switching the LEDs 17 on and off. By virtue of a sequence and speed in the LEDs switching on and off, the effect produced is that of one or more lights rotating inside the surrounding exterior wall 51 of the bezel 2 of the base body 1 of the pushbutton-type switch assembly around the pushbutton 3. Moreover, the electronic control circuit can control the circuit of the printed circuit board 16 to vary the rotational speed and/or invert the direction of rotation of the luminous effect. The luminous signals produced by the lighted module of the present invention may be combined with other luminous signals produced by the mentioned one or more central light-emitting devices 49 arranged inside the stem 5 of the pushbutton-type switch assembly to emit light through the translucent or transparent cover 50 of the pushbutton 3 of the actuator assembly 4.
As previously described, the lighted module of the present invention may be manufactured separately to be afterwards applied to a previously existing pushbutton-type switch assembly which, in essence, has the characteristics described above in relation to
Those skilled in the art would be able to introduce variations and modifications to the described and illustrated embodiments without departing from the scope of the present invention, as defined in the attached claims.
Claims
1. A lighted module applicable to a pushbutton-type switch assembly, where said pushbutton-type switch assembly is of the type comprising a base body defining at one end a bezel adapted to receive a pushbutton of an actuator assembly and a stem adapted to pass through an aperture of a panel, said stem having an outer configuration adapted for joining said base body to said panel, said actuator assembly being mounted so as to be moved through said stem from an extended position to a retracted position against the thrust of an elastic element to operate an actuating element of a switch attached to said stem, said lighted module comprising:
- a receptacle inside of which a printed circuit board is installed, said printed circuit board having a circuit including at least one LED and connection means, said receptacle including at least one translucent or transparent portion, aperture or hole through which light can be emitted from said LED towards a translucent or transparent portion of the base body, and
- at least one orifice through which said connection means can be connected to an electric circuit, the receptacle and said printed circuit board comprising respective mutually aligned apertures and for insertion of the stem of the base body, so that the receptacle with the printed circuit board can be jointly installed with the pushbutton-type switch assembly either internally or externally to the panel.
2. The module according to claim 1, wherein said circuit of the printed circuit board includes a number of LEDs distributed around said aperture on a first face of the printed circuit board, while said connection means comprises connection pins extending from a second face of the printed circuit board opposite said first face.
3. The module according to claim 2, wherein the receptacle comprises a box adapted to house the printed circuit board and a cover adapted to close said box, said apertures of the receptacle being formed in said box and in said cover, respectively.
4. The module according to claim 3, wherein the box is made of a translucent or transparent material and has a bottom wall adjacent to the first face of the printed circuit board, whereas the cover is adjacent to said second face of the printed circuit board, said orifice being formed in the cover to allow said connection pins pass through.
5. The module according to claim 4, wherein depressions and/or holes adapted to accommodate the LEDs and/or other elements projecting from the first face of the printed circuit board are formed in an inner surface of said bottom wall of the box.
6. The module according to claim 3, wherein the box has a bottom wall adjacent to the second face of the printed circuit board whereas the cover is adjacent to said first face of the printed circuit board, said orifice being formed in said bottom wall of the box to allow said connection pins pass through, said aperture of the cover being configured to encompass the LEDs within its perimeter.
7. The module according to claim 6, wherein the box has some walls adapted to conform at least in part to the contour of the printed circuit board and the cover forms a perimetrical step adapted to interiorly fit into said lateral walls of the box.
8. The module according to claim 2, wherein the LEDs are arranged on the printed circuit board so as to emit light through corresponding holes existing in the panel adjacent to the aperture thereof when the lighted module is installed internally between a securing element fastened to the stem of the base body and the panel.
9. The module according to claim 2, wherein the connection pins are installed on the printed circuit board so as to pass through an orifice existing in the panel adjacent to the aperture thereof when the lighted module is installed externally between the panel and the bezel of the base body.
10. The module according to claim 2, wherein the receptacle comprises a box with a bottom wall to which the printed circuit board is attached and lateral walls adapted to conform at least part to the contour of the printed circuit board, said aperture of the receptacle being formed in said bottom wall.
11. The module according to claim 10, wherein the bottom wall of the box is adjacent to the second face of the printed circuit board, said orifice being formed in the bottom wall to allow said connection pins to pass through and said lateral walls defining an aperture configured to encompass the LED switch in its perimeter.
12. The module according to claim 11, wherein said lateral walls of the box have a free axial edge adapted to rest on the panel around said aperture when the lighted module is installed internally between a securing element attached to the stem of the base body and the panel, and in that the lighted module includes an adapter of a translucent or transparent material having an aperture adapted to fit to an outer contour of the stem of the base body and a perimetrical edge adapted to fit to an inner edge of the aperture of the panel, said aperture and said perimetrical edge being configured to encompass said number of LEDs within its perimeter.
13. The module according to claim 12, wherein the box comprises inner walls that radially extend inwards from said lateral walls, said inner walls having free axial surfaces adapted to support the bezel of the base body when the lighted module is installed externally between the panel and the bezel of the base body, in which case the connection pins are arranged so that they pass through an orifice formed in the panel and aligned with the orifice of the box.
14. The module according to claim 13, wherein the perimetrical edge of the adapter includes an outer perimetrical surface adapted to fit inside free radial surfaces of the inner walls of the box, said perimetrical edge having a height that is less than the distance between the first face of the printed circuit board and the free axial surfaces of the inner walls.
15. The module according to claim 13, wherein the adapter has a notch formed in an edge of said aperture to fit into a projection formed on the rear surface of the bezel of the base body.
16. The module according to claim 13, wherein the printed circuit board has slots around its contour to accommodate the inner walls of the box, securing strips being adapted to be held between two of said inner walls and interiorly backed onto the lateral walls of the box above a portion of the printed circuit board adjacent to its contour to hold the printed circuit board to the box.
17. The module according to claim 12, further comprising a support washer having a first face adapted to be backed onto a rear surface of the bottom wall of the box, a second face adapted to receive a pressure surface of the securing elements, and an aperture adapted to fit to an outer contour of the stem of the base body, a notch being formed in an edge of said aperture to fit to a projection formed on the rear surface of the bottom wall of the box, the thickness of said support washer being equal to or greater than the axial length of said projection.
18. The module according to claim 2, wherein the circuit of the printed circuit board is adapted to be controlled by an electronic control circuit associated with said electric circuit to which the connection pins on the printed circuit board are connected to consecutively switch the LEDs on and off so as to produce a rotating luminous signal.
19. The module according to claim 2, wherein the LEDs are installed on the printed circuit board so as to emit said rotating luminous signal through a peripheral zone of the bezel of the base body, at least said peripheral zone being made of a translucent or transparent material.
20. A pushbutton-type switch assembly with a lighted module, said pushbutton-type switch assembly being of the type comprising a base body defining at one end a bezel adapted to receive a pushbutton of an actuator assembly and a stem adapted to pass through an aperture in a panel, said stem having an outer configuration adapted to be coupled to a securing element for joining said base body to the cited panel, said actuator assembly being mounted so as to be moved through said stem from an extended position to a retracted position against the thrust of an elastic element to operate an actuating element of a switch attached to said stem, said pushbutton-type switch assembly being associated with a lighted module according to claim 1 and in that the base body has at least one translucent or transparent portion through which light from said lighted module is emitted.
Type: Application
Filed: Feb 20, 2007
Publication Date: Aug 23, 2007
Patent Grant number: 7507924
Applicant:
Inventors: Miguel Angel Lorenzo Riera (Barcelona), Juan Jose Verdu Martinez (Barcelona)
Application Number: 11/708,189